'Love you, too.' Pause 'Hell. I am gonna miss that Jacuzzi tub.' Pause 'What?'

'Daryl Dixon will miss a Jacuzzi tub.'

'Hell, yeah. 'Specially after today.' Pause 'You think we were gettin' soft?'

'No. Did we get used to certain things? Yes. We busted our asses there, Daryl. You know it.'

'Yeah. Shit, did less today than most days on Covet.'

'We were in a car for a week. Trying to care for two babies and a teenager.'

'Rick? Yeah. She pretty much kicked his ass.'

'She did.'

'You think she?' Pause. 'Got outta hand?'

Pause 'I don't know. He was yelling at her at the storage area. She handles things like that differently than we do.'

'I guess. Her job?'

'Yes. They had dangerous jobs. They had to learn to be, I don't know, dispassionate, is the word I'm looking for. I think she was tired of dealing with his attitude.'

Grunt. 'Still, he had no right just decidin' to stay with us.'

Pause 'He didn't. He's teaching Carl to be the same. It was 'Okay. We'll stay in your other room'.'

'Yeah. Didn't like it. Like we don't get a say. They was decidin' for us.'

'Right.'

'Was kinda pissed. Came in and there they are.'

'Glenn, Maggie, Beth and Sasha weren't that arrogant.'

'Hell no. Picked rooms close to us.'

'Right. We knew he'd be weird about Judith.'

'We did. Still kinda pisses me off.'

'Me, too, but here we are.'

'Yeah. Here we are.'

Carl put on his headphones to his mp3 player so couldn't listen to them anymore. He knew it would be a while, if ever, if they got electricity. He knew his dad wasn't stupid, but sometimes he was. After listening to Daryl and Michonne and how his dad was teaching him to be arrogant he needed to not hear them. Listening to music seemed a good way. He could have pounded on the wall but that would wake up Judith and his dad.

He'd thought it was cool Sid and Hol had everyone vote, including the kids. Better than Deanna. He thought it was cool they did runs for stuff. They were kids. Like him. Then he got pissed. Those people from Alexandria didn't know what it was like out there. Most of them died. And Deanna still got to stay in a better place than where he was.

He wiped his eyes and tried to go to sleep. He pulled his headphones off and didn't hear anything. He put his player away on his night table and rolled on his side.

When he got up the next morning Michonne and Daryl were already outside, pulling weeds. "Hey," he said as he walked over.

"Carl. About time, sleepyhead," Michonne teased.

"Uh. How long have you been up?"

"Coupla hours. Used to it," Daryl shrugged.

Carl frowned. "I don't think I've ever seen you pull weeds."

"Had ta."

"You should get down here with us. Judith did."

Carl smiled. "Did she?"

Daryl huffed out a laugh. "She tried."

"We were just waiting for you or your dad to get up. Daryl and I are going to find those chickens. All right with you?"

"Where'd ya let 'em go?"

"Out in the street. It's not like they'd get run over by a car or anything."

Daryl nodded and stood up, wiping his hands down his pants. "Alright. You got li'l ass kicker duty. Don't think your dad's up yet," he stated.

Carl looked at the ground before looking at them. "Thanks. For taking care of Judith."

Michonne put her hand on his shoulder. "It's what we do for family."

"Like not saying how pissed you are because me and my dad decided to live in your room without asking?" Carl saw Michonne and Daryl look at each other. "Your room was noisy last night." Carl almost laughed at Daryl's blush. "I heard you talking. Later."

Michonne let out a breath. "Good to know. How much did you hear?"

"You think Holly got tired of my dad's attitude and kicked his ass. Basically to shut him up."

"We're fine, Carl. Ain't nothin' to worry about now. 'Chonne?"

"Right. We're fine, Carl. Wish us luck," she waved as her and Daryl walked back in the house. He soon heard the front door shut.

Carl sat and pulled weeds.

Rick got up to Judith crying in the crib in his room. When he looked over she just continued to cry. "Alright, Judith," he told her and groaned as he got out of bed. The woman could punch. When he got to his feet he picked her up and smelled her. "Dirty diaper. I'll change you," he crooned to his little girl. He looked around and saw disposable diapers in the bag by his door. Laying her on a blanket on his bed he wiped and changed her. She stopped crying and just stared. "Da."

Rick smiled and felt tears in his eyes. "That's right, honey, I'm your daddy. Come on. Let's go find your brother, Michonne and Daryl." He put her on his hip and walked down the stairs.

"Carl," he yelled after he'd looked through their house. "Carl," he yelled again.

Carl came from the back, slamming the door. "What?"

"Where were you?"

"Pulling weeds."

"Can you make her a bottle?"

"Sure. Where's the stuff?"

"Kitchen," he pointed as he moved to the sofa in the living area. He sat down and smiled at his daughter. After a few minutes she smiled back. Then Carl gave him the bottle. He gave her the bottle and she tried to take it from him. After a few minutes, and he was sure she could handle it, he moved his hand to the bottom of the bottle.

"Where's Daryl and Michonne?"

"They asked me if it was okay for them to find the chickens," Carl shrugged as he sat on the sofa near them.

"Why?"

"You run the show, Dad. I don't think they'll do anything without your okay."

"That's stupid. They know what needs done. This is their house, too."

"I don't know. Maybe living in that democracy made them soft. Like Alexandria made those people soft."

Rick whipped his head toward his son. "What did you say?"

"I said," he huffed, "maybe living in that democracy made them soft. You know? They can't make decisions? At least they still know how to use weapons," Carl scoffed.

"Carl, living in a democracy doesn't make people soft," Rick retorted.

"Doesn't it? Letting people have a vote? They should just follow the strongest person." Carl frowned. "Except someone like Deanna. I guess she was the strongest person there. It's not like Reg, Tobin or Pete Anderson every stood up to her. You did. Abe did. Why didn't you just take over?"

"It wasn't our place, Carl."

"Who cares, Dad? If you had we'd still be there. With electricity. Food. You would have started gardens. Instead we're here. With no electricity. And we need to start a garden. Again. Find food. Again. Too bad you couldn't have taken over the hotel. That was a cool place. Except those people did carry weapons. I don't think Abraham would have helped you do it. I think that Holly woman scared him."

Rick looked back down and Judith and saw her staring up at him, not eating. He took the bottle away and put her across his shoulder. When she burped he smiled.

"That Holly woman could punch."

"So? You could have shot her." Carl paused. "Why didn't we? Take over Alexandria? It would have been easy. Those people had no idea what it's like out there."

"We were recruited there, Carl. It wasn't our place."

Carl jumped up. "The prison was our place and we lost it. We had guns."

"He had a tank."

"The Alexandrians didn't carry guns or have a tank, Dad. You should have," Carl yelled.

Rick stared at Carl in shock. "It wouldn't have been right, Carl."

"Whatever. Deanna and her idiot family are in a better place. How is it that we can't get a nice place to stay? With food. Electricity. We had the prison. Then we had here. Then we had Alexandria. Nice place. Stupid people. Then we go to Covet. Nice place. They already had all of that stuff. Then we can't stay there. Why? Because everyone votes. Voting is stupid."

Judith started crying and Rick crooned to her. When she settled down Rick looked at Carl again. He was stroking Judith's foot and she laughed. Carl laughed with her.

"Voting is not stupid, Carl. I voted. Your mom voted. Before this."

"So? What did we get? We got this, Dad."

He let out a sigh. "We had a council. At the prison. I stepped down."

Carl scoffed. "Right. Everyone but Sasha asked your opinion anyway."

Rick didn't have a chance to answer as the door opened. Daryl and Michonne stepped inside with Daryl carrying a box. "Found some rabbits. Okay with you?"

Rick closed his eyes. "Yeah. Can you build something for them?"

"Nah. Found something that should work. Me and 'Chonne'll go set it up."

"This list they had at Covet. How did it work?" Rick asked later that night as they sat down to dinner of fresh food.

Daryl shrugged. "Just made a list. We all decided what to work on."

"What was on it?"

"Clearin' the islands closest to us, findin' weapons, shit like that."

"What's a whacked out prepper?" Rick questioned.

Michonne smiled and Daryl rolled his eyes. "An end of the world nut," Michonne responded.

"'An end of the world nut'?" Carl repeated.

"Someone, or someone's that were preparing for the end of the world or racial wars or alien invasions," she expanded.

Carl wrinkled his nose. "Alien invasions?"

"Some people thought we would be invaded by aliens, Carl. It doesn't make any sense, to us, but it did to them. They prepared for it."

"Really? And how did whacked out preppers help them?" Rick asked sarcastically.

"They helped all of us, Rick. Not just Sid and Holly," Michonne responded coolly.

"Found a buncha books on makin' bullets, batteries, how to butcher animals, what grows good when, makin' greenhouses to grow all year round," Daryl told him as he ate.

"Huh. Books. They made all that from books?"

"Most of it, yes."

"We should go to the library," Carl perked up.

"Yeah, we should. Good idea." Rick ate. "Whacked out preppers."

It didn't take long to kill the few walkers that were inside the library. Rick hadn't been in a library in years, so he just walked along looking for the card catalogue. Then he saw a sign on a computer terminal. "Shit. It's on the computer."

"Don't matter, Rick, Just look," Daryl told him as he went up and down the rows. He pulled out a few books on growing food and moved along. Rick didn't find anything on making gunpowder or making greenhouses. He did find some on butchering and put them back. They had Daryl. They didn't need books for that. He pulled a couple of kids' books for Judith and took a few for Carl.

"Michonne like romance books?" Rick asked him.

Daryl stopped, turned and frowned. "No. Why?"

"We're here and we don't need library cards."

"Already got a few for her. She gave me a list," he said and continued to look. He picked up a few more and stuffed them in his bag. "Got what I think would work. Wanna look 'em over?"

Rick frowned now. "No. I trust you."

"Okay. You done?" he gestured with his bag.

"Yeah. I'm done. Nothin' on makin' bullets. Or greenhouses."

"Might not be here. Small. Maybe in a bigger city."

Rick tilted his head. "Might. Should put it on the list."

"Ya gotta list?"

"I do. Started it last night."

"Let's go," Daryl went to the door and waited for him.

When they got back to the house Carl was with Michonne playing cards at the table.

"Gin," she put her hand down on the table.

"Hey. You won again," Carl complained.

"Just lucky I guess."

"We have Monopoly. We should play. I'll kick your butt," Carl challenged.

"Bring it," she smiled back.

"Hey, Dad. What'd you get?" Carl ran over and grabbed the bag from his hand.

"Ask, Carl," Rick scolded.

"Can I look?" Carl raised his eyebrows, bag in hand.

"I guess," Rick frowned. "Nothing on making bullets or greenhouses."

"Told him a bigger one might," Daryl added.

"Mm. Maybe. Atlanta. A university library." She looked up as she went through the bag Daryl gave her. "The books, the whacked out prepper books, were published by small publishers. Not something normally found in a public library. It was a cottage industry."

"'Cottage Industry'?" Carl looked up with a Harry Potter book in his hand.

"Certain industries, niche markets, had their own small little manufacturers for their products. Books included."

Daryl frowned. "Right. How they knew about that guy. Amazon."

"Amazon?"

"Sid and Hol were in Atlanta when this started. One of the camps there. They were here tracking a man that was buying a lot of weapons and books on race wars. They left the camp and decided to sit this out on an island or the mountains, away from people, not easily accessible, until it blew over. They were going for Tybee. They searched, raided a few places. They went to Ossabaw. I guess they found the guy's stash there. In a bunker."

"Thought he was movin' guns and shit for white supremacists," Daryl added. "Turned out to be a whacked out prepper."

"Which is why we love whacked out preppers."

"Had books on alien invasions, mind control. Sid said the guy was crazy."

Michonne widened her eyes. "Some of the books were crazy, Daryl."

"Stopped lookin' at 'em after that one with the fucked up alien on the cover. Shit was weird."

Michonne laughed. "Holly said he covered his bases."

"She's kinda fucked up, too, 'Chonne."

"She's determined," she reminded him.

"Whatever. Determined. Crazy. All the same."

Rick took a step back and looked at the garden. It was coming along good. They'd gotten a few tomatoes and the green beans would be ready soon. He smiled at Carl as he sat with Judith in the dirt. Daryl and Michonne were out, trying to find a cow or a goat for milk.

"Looking good, Carl," he complimented him.

"She likes to pull everything, Dad," Carl whined.

"You gotta teach her, Carl."

Carl stood up and helped Judith to stand. "We're going inside. I'll heat up some water. Give her a bath. She likes bath time."

"Bath," Judith squealed in delight.

"Bath," Carl repeated and held her hand as they walked toward the house.

Rick went back to checking the potatoes, headphones in, when he felt someone shove him.

"Damn, man, can't be doin' that. Got a herd. Comin' this way. Me and 'Chonne seen it as we was pullin' up," Daryl yelled at him and ran for the house. And he watched from the window of his room as the walkers, he couldn't tell how many, tromped all over the garden and finally broke open the rabbit pen. Carl, sitting beside him, holding Judith, sat vigil with him. Michonne and Daryl were in their room down the hall.

"Crap," Carl whispered.

Rick didn't know how much later, he jumped when he heard a knock on the door before it opened and Daryl came inside. It was dark out and he couldn't see anymore.

"Can't hear 'em," he whispered.

"Yeah. Might be gone."

"We'll check in the mornin'. Need more spikes. Maybe more than what ya had."

"Maybe."

"Me and 'Chonne'll take watch tonight."

"Thanks."

"Should get some sleep, Rick." He motioned to Carl and Judith spread out over his bed. "Got li'l ass kicker duty tomorrow."

Rick nodded and moved his children to the center of the bed while he laid down closest to the door. He could hear Michonne and Daryl walking down the hall, past his door. He didn't sleep, just watched his children. Occasionally he'd run his hand down Judith's hair, making sure her and Carl were warm enough. And mourned. He missed Lori. He missed his friend Shane, not the killer. He missed Hershel. Dale. He missed the life they had started to live at the prison. He missed Ty. He even missed Carol. He didn't know how much longer he could go on. Then Carl snorted and he smiled. As long as he had to. He'd do anything to keep his kids safe. Anything.

Daryl looked up the stairs after it got light out and they decided to check the downstairs of the house.

"I don't hear anything," she whispered, katana out, as they stood on the bottom floor.

"Right. Ready?"

She nodded and they moved as a unit through the house. The doors were locked and the windows covered.

"Nothing," she dropped her katana and stood with him in the kitchen.

"Good," he huffed out. He knew this was gonna be hard so he ripped off the band aid.

"Wanna go back, 'Chonne," he told her.

She widened her eyes and looked out in the living room. "We can't."

"We can. We'll help Rick find another place, protect it. Then I wanna go back."

She looked at the floor and Daryl knew she was upset. She looked up with tears in her eyes. "I can't lose."

"I get it, 'Chonne. I do. I love that little girl like she's my own. You know it. She ain't our own. She's Rick's. This? I don't wanna lose ya. If we stay? With them? Unless we find Fort fuckin' Knox, this is our life. We ain't livin'. We'll just be survivin'. Somethin' we didn't wanna do with Judith."

Her bottom lip trembled and Daryl pulled her into his arms and held her. He could feel tears on his shirt as she held onto him. "Just wanna be safe. Live. Have our own li'l ass kicker," he said into her hair.

"Okay," she whispered into his shirt.

Daryl sighed. "Thank you."